Amory Lorch
Ser Amory Lorch was a knight in the service of House Lannister during the War of the Five Kings. He was killed by Jaqen H'ghar in Harrenhal at the behest of Arya Stark. Biography Background Ser Amory Lorch is a landed knight of House Lorch, a knightly house sworn to House Lannister. He has been a loyal vassal of the Lannisters for many years. The sigil of his House is a black manticore on a red field.HBO viewers guide, season 2 guide to houses, House Lannister entry Season 2 Off screen, Lorch is raiding in the Riverlands when he is approached by a pair of gold cloaks with a royal warrant for the royal bastard Gendry. The Gold Cloaks request assistance from Lorch to capture the boy who has been protected by Yoren and his Night's Watch recruits. On screen, the Gold Cloaks along with Lorch and a force of Lannister soldiers return to Yoren's group. Lorch confronts Yoren and attacks his group when Yoren refuses to give up Gendry. Lorch kills Yoren personally after his men have subdued him and then imprisons the survivors, ordering them to be taken to Harrenhal. He does not realize that Arya Stark and Gendry are among them. He questions them about Gendry and is tricked into believing that the slain Lommy Greenhands was his target because he was carrying Gendry's bull's head helmet."What Is Dead May Never Die" Lorch and his men deliver the prisoners to Ser Gregor Clegane at Harrenhal. Ser Gregor oversees the torture of the captives, killing several of them. When Lord Tywin Lannister returns to Harrenhal he ends the interrogations and orders the prisoners put to work, criticizing his men for wasting valuable manpower."Garden of Bones" Lorch attends a war council held by Lord Tywin. Tywin criticizes his men for underestimating Robb Stark and demands that they devise a new strategy. Lorch reports rumors from spies that there is discontent in Robb's camp. Tywin is dismissive, saying that discontent is a part of war and that the very same spies would report the same from the Lannister side."The Ghost of Harrenhal" Ser Amory is chastised by Lord Tywin during a war council after the knight's illiteracy means that a letter meant for Lord Damon of House Marbrand is instead accidentally sent to Lord Marlin of House Dormund, a vassal of House Stark. Exasperated, Tywin remarks that "my cupbearer reads better than you!" Later, Amory catches Arya Stark with a stolen letter and tries to seize her, and then heads to inform Tywin. Frantically, Arya seeks out the assassin Jaqen H'ghar and names Amory as her next kill. Ser Amory is killed with a poisoned dart to the neck dipped in wolfsbane just as he enters Lord Tywin's chambers. Tywin mistakes it for an assassination attempt on himself."The Old Gods and the New" Appearances Image gallery Amory-lorch.jpg|Ser Amory Lorch at the HBO viewer's guide. Amory chases Arya.jpg|Ser Amory chasing Arya in "The Old Gods and the New." In the books In the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, Ser Amory Lorch is a noted servant of Lord Tywin Lannister and a member of House Lorch, a knightly house sworn to Casterly Rock. He is described as a portly man of average height. He has a pale piggy face with small pig-like eyes, and a high, thin voice. According to a semi-canon source, during the Reyne-Tarbeck rebellion, Lorch threw the last Lord Tarbeck, a three year old boy, down a well. During the Sack of King's Landing at the end of Robert's Rebellion, Ser Amory Lorch and Ser Gregor Clegane were assigned to eliminate the last scions of House Targaryen, breaking into the royal apartments and brutally killing Prince Rhaegar's wife, Elia Martell, and their children, Aegon and Rhaenys, an act that has marred the reputation of both. Lorch killed Rhaenys by stabbing her about fifty times, even Tywin considering the manner of her death to be overly brutal. He asked Lorch why killing a four year old girl required so many thrusts, and Lorch answered that she kicked him and would not stop screaming. Tywin commented that if Lorch had half the brain a turnip has, he would have calmed Rhaenys with a few sweet words and used a soft silk pillow to smother her. In the TV series, it is not mentioned that he was involved in the killing of Rhaenys, her murder instead being attributed to Gregor Clegane. Considering he is not responsible for the killing of Princess Rhaenys and his backstory is cut from the TV series, Lorch is generally perceived as being less cruel than his book counterpart. Lorch is known for pillaging places in random, regardless if their owners are loyal to the Lannisters or not, simply because he can. One of his victims was Ser Roger Hogg, a bannerman of House Hayford. Ser Roger told Lorch that to which house his fealty was owed, but Lorch wouldn't listen, slaughtered half of Ser Roger's sheep and three milk goats, then tried to roast him alive in his tower. The tower walls were solid stone and eight feet thick, so after the fire burned out Lorch rode off bored. In the books, Ser Amory comes into conflict with Yoren while hunting down the Brotherhood Without Banners instead of Gendry. Although Yoren assures Lorch multiple times that his caravan has nothing to do with the Brotherhood, Lorch picks a fight with him anyway without provocation or reason. There is no mention in the books that Lorch is illiterate. Lorch is not one of the names Arya gives to Jaqen, and was not killed by him. After Roose Bolton took Harrenhal, he and Vargo Hoat, who had a running rivalry with Amory, had Lorch thrown into the bear pit, where he was torn apart. Arya considered that poetic vengeance for Yoren's murder, as she had thought of Yoren as hairy and tough, like a bear. When Oberyn Martell comes to King's Landing seeking justice for the deaths of Elia and her children, Lord Tywin plans to pin all of the blame for their deaths on Amory, now conveniently dead, to save him having to hand over Gregor Clegane to be put on trial. Tywin suggests that the manner of Amory's death ought to have been gruesome enough to satisfy even the vengeful Prince Oberyn. It is doubtful that Oberyn believes that new version, which totally cleans Tywin and Gregor of any responsibility to the deaths of Elia and her children; in any case, Tyrion assures Oberyn that Lorch killed Rhaenys, while Gregor killed her mother and brother. See also * (spoilers from the books) References de:Amory Lorch fr:Amory Lorch ru:Амори Лорх zh:亚摩利·洛奇 Category:Bannermen of House Lannister Category:Deceased individuals Amory Category:Knights Category:Nobility Category:Westermen